Bryant Public Schools offers a variety of services to help students successfully transition to life after graduation. These offerings include career exploration, job training available at the Saline County Career and Technical Campus, as well as options for internships and college credit courses. Each opportunity is designed to assist students in securing a successful future.
This year Bryant High School is implementing a new transition program known as CIRCLES, where both school level and community level teams support and advise students as they prepare for this transition. CIRCLES, which stands for Communicating Interagency Relationships and Collaborative Linkages for Exceptional Students, helps cultivate pathways to success tailored to each student's unique talents and interests.
For the community level team, Special Education Transition educator Kami Barclay worked to recruit and connect parents and students with representatives from Civitan, Goodwill, Arkansas Rehabilitation Services, and Arkansas Transition Services, along with an expert in the career field in which each student expressed an interest in pursuing after high school. She also recruited Bryant educators to serve on the school level committee.
A total of seven students participated, with each preparing a presentation about themselves and their career interest to share with the community level team. The team members look for ways to support the students on their career path. “One of our students, who presented at the meeting, was offered an opportunity for employment and an internship at Friendship Community, after she discussed that her post-secondary transition goal is to work with infants who have special needs,” said Ms. Barclay.
The information provided by the community members and school personnel who attended the meetings was invaluable to parents, students, and school personnel who work directly with participating students. “The passion of Mrs. Barclay for her students is obvious, and the impact this is having on those students is life changing,” said Jessica Chipman, whose daughter participated in the program.
The CIRCLES project is funded by a grant through the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, and is being implemented in conjunction with the University of Kansas.
COMMUNITY/SCHOOL TEAMS: Julie Terry, Civitan Services; Jeremy Hogue, Arkansas Transition Services; Johnnie Dukes, BHS student presenter; Quandera Spring, Counselor; Jalynn McColey, Goodwill Services; Brionna Pullium, Arkansas Rehabilitation Services; Roshunda Foreman, Saline Co. Juvenile Courts (expert for student’s chosen field)
COMMUNITY TEAM: Jeremy Hogue, Arkansas Rehabilitation Services; Jeff Dyer, Civitan; BHS Senior, Brianna Green; Stacy Gravett, Arkansas Rehabilitation Services; Jalynn McColey, Goodwill Arkansas